Abstract: In a time-of-flight mass spectrometer having an ion source with a first accelerating electrode, a distance between the surface of a sample and the first accelerating electrode is maintained at a predetermined distance which is critical for determining the mass and quantity of ions generated by the ion source. A digital image of the sample surface is obtained with a digital camera and a predetermined characteristic of the digital image is determined. The predetermined characteristic is then used to compute an adjustment amount by which the sample surface is moved to maintain the predetermined distance. Determining the predetermined characteristic can be simplified by projecting a light pattern onto the sample surface at an angle and determining the predetermined characteristic from the digital image of the pattern.

Abstract: A diffractometer for X-ray diffraction measurements has two co-exiting sample stages which are mounted on the goniometer base simultaneously. A rotation stage is used for single crystal X-ray diffraction and an XYZ stage is used for general X-ray diffraction with bulky samples. The driving bases of both stages are located away from the instrument center so the measuring space in the vicinity of the instrument center is available to either of the two sample stages. With this arrangement, the rotation axis of the rotation stage stays aligned to the instrument center even when the XYZ stage is used for data collection. Therefore, realigning of the rotation stage to the instrument center is not necessary when switching the applications between the two stages.

Abstract: In an RF ion trap, analyte ions are fragmented by applying a moderately high RF storage voltage to the trap. The ions are then excited via dipolar excitation, and after a short time, the ions are forced into a resting state, again using dipolar excitation. The RF storage voltage is then rapidly reduced to a low value thereby making it possible to store small fragment ions produced by ergodic decompositions that occur subsequent to the reduction of the RF storage voltage.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus serve the purpose of determining the fat or oil content of a sample. The sample is dried under the action of a microwave field and is examined under the action of a radio-frequency signal and of a constant magnetic field by means of nuclear magnetic resonance. The sample is exposed to the microwave field, the radio-frequency signal and the magnetic field at the same measuring place in a common measuring chamber. The apparatus has a microwave source for drying the sample, a magnetic system for generating a nuclear magnetic resonance magnetic field in the sample, and a nuclear magnetic resonance measuring arrangement for irradiating radio-frequency signals into the sample and for receiving excited nuclear magnetic resonance signals from the sample. The microwave source, the magnetic system and the nuclear magnetic resonance measuring arrangement are connected to a common measuring chamber in which the sample is located.

Abstract: Analyte ions entrained in a carrier gas are analyzed by parallel flow ion mobility spectrometry prior to analysis by a mass analyzer. An extended ion funnel is located in the vacuum system of the mass analyzer and has an ion focusing section and an ion mobility analyzing section. The carrier gas together with entrained ions is introduced into the ion focusing section where the ions are focused to the axis of the funnel by applied RF voltages. In the ion mobility section, the action of an RF quadrupolar field, the movement of the carrier gas and axial DC field, separates the ions on the basis of their mobilities. The mobility separated ions are released into the mass analyzer where the ions may be further separated on the basis of mass.

Abstract: An example of a gas detection system includes a gas chromatograph oven, a gas detector, a sample gas moving device, and a flow detector. An example of a method for detecting gas includes flowing a sample gas from the oven, determining whether the flow rate equals or is less than a minimum, and determining whether the concentration of a first gas of the sample gas, such as a combustible gas, equals or exceeds a maximum. If either the flow rate or the concentration indicates an error condition or is out of bounds, an alarm response is initiated. The alarm response may include shutting off the flow of the first gas to the oven, and flowing a second gas, such as a safe gas, to the oven.

Abstract: A method and apparatus that automatically converts a universal resource locator that specifies a location for a publication into a standard publication identifier that identifies the publication uses a plurality of parser rules, each parser rule being adapted to extract data fields for a particular form of universal resource locator. One of the parser rules is selected based on a domain in the universal resource locator and used to parse the universal resource locator to generate data field values. A plurality of translation rules are used, each translation rule accepting one or more data fields as inputs. When the generated data field values match the inputs of a translation rule, that translation rule is used to create a standard publication identifier.

Abstract: In an X-ray diffraction apparatus, a high brightness source, such as a rotating anode generator, is combined with demagnification X-ray optics to produce a beam with small image size and high-intensity. In one embodiment, an elliptical X-ray optic is positioned relative to the source and image focal points so that the magnification of the optic is less than one. The combination can produce high-intensity beams with beam images at the sample of less than 0.1 mm.

Abstract: In apparatus for performing Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS), rather than applying a sample to be analyzed to an SERS active substrate, the SERS active substrate is applied to the sample using an inkjet nozzle to apply a substance containing a colloidal metal, such as silver, to the sample. The prepared sample is then analyzed with a Raman spectrometer in a conventional fashion.

Abstract: In an address signal decoder for a RAM memory, address signals are decoded in a “bucket brigade” address decoding architecture in which the address signals or bits are sequentially sent along the same address decoding path. The inventive architecture comprises a set of node switches linked into a binary tree. The address signals enter at the root node of the binary tree. As each address signal reaches a node switch at the end the path, it sets the path direction for that switch node so that subsequent address signals that follow the path will use that path direction. The decoder can be used with classical or quantum RAM memories.

Abstract: In a Fourier transform mass spectrometer, an ion cyclotron resonance cell includes trapping and reflecting electrodes. Ions are initially trapped via an electrostatic trapping field. After ions have been excited into a coherent cyclotron motion, the trapping field is turned off and the ions are contained using a reflecting field. The reflecting electrostatic field has substantially no radial field components and therefore introduces essentially no magnetron motion into the ion orbits.

Abstract: In a time-of-flight mass spectrometer with orthogonal ion injection performed by a pulser to which the ions are fed by an RF ion guide, compensation is provided for mass discrimination that occurs when the ions are injected into the pulser. This is accomplished by designing at least a part of the ion guide as an ion storage device, by emptying the filled ion storage device mass-selectively in ion groups, group-by-group, and by serially feeding the ion groups to the pulser with correct timing, using the mass selectivity of the pulser filling process to compensate for the mass discrimination.

Abstract: A link resolver menu generated by a link resolver server includes a link to a “rights advisor website” containing a program that determines available rights for a resource. When activated, the program uses the resource information in the link to obtain a standard resource identifier and then uses user and context information to access and extract all agreements stored therein that are applicable to the organization to which the user belongs. The resource identifier is then used to determine agreements that are applicable to that resource. An applicable right is selected from each agreement, if available. The rights are then ordered in a tree from the most permissive to the most restrictive. The tree is then traversed from its lowest level upward and the resulting rights are presented to the user.

Abstract: A method for applying MALDI matrix substances to a surface, especially a histologic thin tissue section, for spatially-resolved mass spectrometric measurements of substance distributions in or on the surface uses vibration to nebulize a solution of the matrix substance without the assistance of a gas and deposits the nebulized droplets, preferably cyclically, on the surface.

Abstract: In an X-ray diffraction apparatus, a sample holder has a sample mounted on a pin extending a known distance from a cap that mates with a magnetized base on a goniometer. The sample is mechanically positioned in the center of an X-ray beam by a first movable arm which is located in a precise position relative to the goniometer base by a positioning mechanism and a mechanism that forces the pin into engagement with the first arm. The sample has a known height on the pin with respect to the cap and therefore, the sample can repeatedly be located in the center of the X-ray beam without the use of complex centering arrangements. In order to allow the sample holder to be removed from the goniometer base, a linkage is provided that releases the pin from the first arm.

Abstract: An ion cyclotron resonance cell has at least one trapping electrode comprised of electrically isolated sections that are used for the detection of an induced ion image signal. Such an arrangement increases the sensitivity of image signal detection without a significant increase in the amplitude of parasitic harmonics. When a multielectrode detection arrangement is used, the resolving power of an analyzer incorporating such a cyclotron resonance cell multiplies without a corresponding sensitivity loss.

Abstract: A handheld X-ray diffractometer comprises a miniaturized X-ray source and multiple area detectors to allow the diffractometer to obtain two-dimensional X-ray diffraction images in a large diffraction space without rotating the sample. The source and detectors are located inside of a radio opaque enclosure that protects the operator during use. The handheld diffractometer also comprises a sample monitoring and alignment system that allows an operator to observe the measuring area and to align the diffractometer to the sample from outside of the housing. A specially designed mouthpiece, which mates the diffractometer to the sample area, prevents x-ray leakage and triggers off the data collection. The detectors can be positioned to perform measurements necessary to calculate a mechanical stress in the sample. Linear detectors may also be used in place of the area detectors.

Abstract: Proteins with a molecular mass in the range from approximately 5 to 100 kilodaltons are structurally analyzed without prior enzymatic digestion to small peptides in a mass spectrometer that operates with an ion trap. The proteins are ionized by electrospraying or similar processes to create highly charged analyte ions, which are then introduced into the ion trap and subjected to fragmentation and partial deprotonation in either order. The fragmentation may be ergodic or electron-induced. The result remaining in the ion trap is an evenly distributed mixture of fragment ions having between one and n charges, where n is a number between three and about eight. A mass spectrum is recorded from this mixture of fragment ions, which spectrum demonstrates a sequence coverage that far exceeds the mass range of the mass analyzer for singly charged ions.

Abstract: An X-ray detector is formed with a geometry in the form of a spherical polygon, including an entrance window, a grid and an anode. The spherical polygonal entrance window and the grid form a spherical polygonal drift region between them. The electric field in this region is radial and eliminates parallax broadening. A spherical polygonal amplification region between a resistive anode on an insulating support and the grid allows very high gas amplification and good protection against spark discharges. A readout electrode on the back side of the anode insulator detects induced charges and protects the readout electronics against sparks.

Abstract: In an ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer in which ions are trapped axially by applying electrical potentials to a pattern of electrode elements to produce an inhomogeneous alternating radio-frequency electric field with a repulsive effect, an additional electrostatic ion-attracting field is superimposed on the repulsive electric field. The voltage of the ion-attracting field is adjusted to compensate for a cyclotron frequency shift of the ions caused by the ion space charge. The voltage of the ion-attracting field can be adjusted so that the ion cyclotron frequency of all ions becomes independent of the number of ions inside the spectrometer.